I just received the following question from Kimbriel,
Julie, I thought that people w/ Bipolar II don’t get psychotic? Or did you have a psychotic depression?
Hi Kimbriel,
Believe it or not, I’m writing an article on psychosis right now. People with bipolar II can defintely get psychotic. I’ve had psychotic symptoms since age 19. Mine are always with depression – as it’s rare for someone with bipolar II to have psychosis with hypomania.
The difference is in intensity- people with bipolar I have full blown psychosis – usually with mania. In fact, 70% of people with full blown mania have full blown psychosis at the same time. This is when most people have to go to the hopsital and often have to be committed by a family member!
I will let everyone know when the psychosis article is ready. It’s for healthyplace.com.
Thanks for writing!
Julie
PS: Here is an explanation of the difference between bipolar i and bipolar II. If you are new to bipolar disorder terms, I think you will find this helpful.
The following is an excerpt from an article I wrote for healthyplace.com on the difference between bipolar depression and uni polar depression. I wonder how well you can do! A lot of it was new to me as I wrote the article!
A Quiz: Name that Depression
The following examples will help you (or someone who cares about a person with depression) get really clear on the depression you experience. This can lead to the right treatment plan.
1. Have you ever been depressed and thought, “What is going on? I felt fantastic just last month! I had so much energy and life was great. I don’t understand this. Nothing happened? What’s wrong with me? Who am I?” and then you feel fine again a few months later. (BP Depression with rapid cycling between mania and depression.)
2. You went through a job loss and got depressed for the first time and then the depression went away when you got another job. (Situational Depression.)
3. You were depressed, took an antidepressant and then suddenly things got better. You felt your head clear and even your vision got razor sharp where colors were gorgeous and people looked beautiful. Life was full of hope and you couldn’t wait to make plans for the future. If someone said you seemed abnormally upbeat, you said, “I finally found a medication that worked and now you want me to go back to being depressed?” (Antidepressant induced mania.)
4. After a down mood for over a year you went through months of feeling great where you [... Read More ...]
I have friend who ask me, “What does it mean when you say you’re sick?”
Here’s an example of what I mean: I took on a great job writing an article for healthlyplace.com where I wrote the main mood disorder articles for the site around two years ago.
It is a very realistic assigment for me and is well compensated. I have all of the skills to do it and a great reference in my coauthor Dr. John Preston. I also have plenty of time to write the article. And yet, I started to get ill the day I started the project.
How do I know this is illness? Here is what happened.
1. Overwhelmed and consumed with jealousy when I saw strangers at a coffee shop who looked cooler and happier than I am.
2. I feel like my life is missing something that others have and that I want and need more to life. My brain tells me that I live a small life and spend too much time alone.
3. I wake up too early and have trouble getting back to sleep.
4. If I go out at night to someplace stimulating, I will hear conversations and music in my head all night and the next day.
I get waves of anxiety.
Bla. I could go on here!
And how do I know it’s the pressure of the article? I haven’t gone through this in a while and it started the day of the job. It’s so frustrating. But the article got done- the final draft goes in tonight. Unfair, ridiculous, [... Read More ...]
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